Saturday, February 27, 2016

I love awards season in Hollywood and am especially fond of the Oscars, that's why it's been a real treat to see examples from all five films nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design on display this year. Today I'm shining a spotlight on the movie costumes designed by Jacqueline West for Frontier revenge drama, The Revenant.

Original film costumes from The Revenant

These costumes from Alejandro González Iñárritu's gritty survival movie were photographed on display at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) Museum in Downtown L.A. alongside a multitude of many other spectacular costumes on February 12 (where they will be until April 30, 2016).

Plus if you're a fan of this Oscar-nominated movie, you can also see more movie costumes from The Revenant, when they were exhibited around the film's theatrical release at ArcLight Sherman Oaks cinema.

Costume worn by Domhnall Gleeson as Captain Andrew Henry

in The Revenant

The movie, which has been acknowledged as being miserable to make in tough conditions, is based on the true story of U.S. fur trapper 'Hugh Glass' (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), who is left for dead by this colleagues after being savagely mauled by a bear during their hunting expedition in 1823.

Domhnall Gleeson plays 'Captain Andrew Henry', the commander of this group of trappers in the wilderness of the North Plains.

Costume worn by Fabrice Adde as Toussaint in The Revenant

In the film Fabrice Adde plays 'Toussaint', the leader of a rival French-Canadian fur-trading expedition.

Costume worn by Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass

in The Revenant

Leonardo DiCaprio has been Oscar-nominated (and is the favourite) to win for his portrayal of the injured Frontiersman who crawled to safety after surviving the brutal Grizzly attack and being abandoned by his fellow trappers.

Costume worn by Duane Howard as Elk Dog

in The Revenant

First Nations actor Duane Howard wears this costume as 'Elk Dog', the leader of the indigenous Native American Arikara, who is seeking his missing daughter.

Costume worn by Tom Hardy as John Fitzgeraldin The Revenant

Tom Hardy plays 'John Fitzgerald' in the early-American Western, the brutal fellow trapper who buries Hugh Glass alive and kills his son, and wears this fur-layered costume in the extreme wilderness conditions.

With Cinderella, The Danish Girl, Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road and these costumes all nominated for an Academy Award this year it's such a talented field that anyone could take home the prestigious golden statue.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

This awards season Costume Designer Sandy Powell has double the chance of winning another Oscar, as she's nominated for both her designs in Cinderella and Carol (the second time in her career this has happened). The British designer has already won three Academy Awards, for Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator and The Young Victoria (and she's now been nominated twelve times), so can she take home another golden statue to add to her collection on February 28, 2016.

Original movie costumes from Carol

Carol is a Lesbian love story set in 1950s New York and is based on the groundbreaking 1952 romance novel originally called The Price of Salt, by Patricia Highsmith.

Cate Blanchett stars as the titular 'Carol Aird', a glamorous woman going through a difficult divorce who falls for a department store assistant and aspiring photographer, 'Therese Belivet' (played by Rooney Mara). Things become complicated when her husband tries to withhold custody of their daughter when he learns of his wife's affair and threatens to expose her homosexuality.

Having now seen the movie, it's wonderful to see these costumes again up close, from all angles, and out from behind a reflective display case. Now I can especially appreciate the progression in styles for Rooney Mara's 'Therese' (presented on the shorter mannequins), from when she first meets Carol and wears her comfy coat and tartan beret, to her more sophisticated work skirt suit.
These four outfits were photographed on display at Downtown L.A.'s FIDM Museum on February 12, and will be there along with a multitude of other costumes from the past year in film as part of a free exhibition, until April 30, 2016.

You could also see these Carol movie costumes at the ArcLight Hollywood cinema last November, when they were accompanied by concept sketches from the designer.

Let's wait and see if Sandy Powell can win a fourth Oscar at the 88th Academy Awards this coming Sunday.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Paco Delgado is another of this year's Oscar-nominated designers showcased at the 24th Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition at Downtown L.A.'s FIDM Museum, and these four fabulous outfits from The Danish Girl were on display on February 12, 2016.

Original film costumes from The Danish Girlat the FIDM Museum

Under normal circumstances costumes are really important for helping actors get into character and this is especially so in Tom Hopper's film, as the Costume Designer was dressing a male actor (Eddie Redmayne) playing a transgender woman expressing herself through what she wore.

The film is inspired by the true story of 1920s Danish painters 'Einar and Gerda Wegener', a married couple whose lives change when Einar decides to identify and live as a woman, 'Lili Elbe', and undergoes one of the first pioneering gender reassignment operations in 1930s Germany.

Costumes worn by Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe

in The Danish Girl

Apparently some of the challenges for the designer included Eddie Redmayne's height (especially exacerbated in heels) and the fact that women were more petite and their fashion in the 1920s didn't really have a waist, and yet they wanted to help create this sense of femininity in the shape and look of the character.

Obviously the right makeup and wigs courtesy of Jan Sewell also helped create the overall look, alongside Eddie's compelling performance.

In the touching movie Alicia Vikander also gave a stellar performance as Einar's understanding wife, Gerda, and she wears this blue dress at a party when her husband pretends to be her female cousin in one of her first public outings as Lili.

If you like these recreated 1920s looks (which are so nice to see out of the confines of reflective display cases), be sure to also check out these other costumes from The Danish Girl that were on display in L.A. cinemas when the movie was first released.

With the film up for four Oscars (understandably as it moved me to tears and was one of my favourite films from last year), for Costume Design, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Production Design, let's see how many golden statuettes The Danish Girl can bring home come February 28, 2016.